An elderly Woodside war veteran is this week a prisoner in his own home because vandals stole and wrecked his electric wheelchair.
Fred Taylor, an 86-year-old former RAF pilot, has condemned the culprits who destroyed his only lifeline to the outside world.
Fred last saw his chair on July 21, when he locked it in his shed for the night at his home.
When he went to the shed the next morning the door had been forced open and his wheelchair was gone.
Later that day the vandalised chair was found dumped in a ditch just metres from Fred's home.
Fred, a widower , told the Guardian: “I don't know who would do such a thing. That chair is my only lifeline to the outside world and I haven't been able to leave my house since it was wrecked.
“I have been sitting in my house crying because I can't believe someone has been so cruel. Do they know how much they have effected my life by destroying my only form of transport?”
Since the theft, Fred has been unable to go on his daily trips to the newsagents.
He added: “I had a stroke a few years ago which really affected my mobility. I am able to walk round the house with my Zimmer frame but I need a chair to get outside.
“Since my wife died, my daily trip to the shops is the only time I really get to go out.
“Now, I have to wait until I see a neighbour walking past and ask them to get me a loaf.”
Fred, who cannot afford to buy a new wheelchair, is now appealing for anyone with an old chair to help him.
He said: “Maybe someone has an elderly relative who has recently passed away and have their old chair stored away somewhere.”
If you can help, contact the Guardian news desk on 020 8645 8816.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article